


Little Signals

by Basilintime



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Bickering, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 23:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17907716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basilintime/pseuds/Basilintime
Summary: Newton's not feeling that great. Between the recent budget cuts, long hours, the council's dismissal of his findings and the fact that he rarely seems to get time to spend with his husband.Hermann notices that Newton's mood has drifted downwards with the weight of everything going on. He decides to try and do some things to cheer him up; including finding a way for them to spend more time together.





	Little Signals

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Regan <3

              Newton glanced at the time on the clock and sighed. It would be another late night given the way the meeting had gone earlier. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect the long hours, especially given the recent staff cuts, but it was still wearing on him. Not seeing Hermann was wearing on him. They were two ships passing in the night; they’d share short conversations on their work each evening when they finally reached their shared quarters and then it’d be time to pass out so they could wake up all over again. It was almost worse now that they were in the same dome. When they’d been half a world away from each other they at least made a point of chatting or sending emails.

              “Have a good night, Newton.” He gave a wave to the tech as she got ready to leave. He hoped they wouldn’t experience any more cuts but he’d not been reassured by the council. They were starting to push more and more for the shift in focus from the Jaeger program to this wall that had been proposed. It wasn’t going to work.

              They’d had a meeting just that morning about how it wasn’t going to work, in fact. Newton and Hermann had both fought against the plan but had been ignored and reprimanded for their efforts. Newton was worried it would mean even more reduction, loss of techs and funding for their work. There were only three of them left in the Kaiju Biologics Division as it was and Hermann had four others spread across all of the shatterdomes who were still working with him on various projects in relation to the breach and coding of the jaegers. They were being forgotten, pushed aside. Dismissed.

              Newton snapped his gloves off once he got his recent samples loaded into the centrifuge to spin for the next fifteen minutes. He pulled his phone out as he leaned back in his chair, checked for any messages from Hermann and giving a quiet sigh as he found none. He didn’t want to bother him but he was feeling pretty low at the moment. He could recognize the depressive dip in mood that typically followed a period of more manic hyper focus on his work. Could recognize the sense of loneliness that came with little to no real human interaction.

_‘Hey. Did you want to grab dinner?’_

              He tapped out the message and hit send before he could second guess himself. Hermann was his _husband_ , he didn’t need to doubt himself in regards to asking his own husband if he wanted to get dinner. Newton threw his feet up on his desk as he waited for a response and watched the time count down on the centrifuge display. He eyed the other side of the lab that had housed the Kaiju Ethology Division before it’d been cut from the funding. Newton had overseen the group alongside the genetic studies but now genetics and physiology were all that was left. It made the place feel empty around him.

              Newton jumped when he heard his phone ding as Hermann responded. He fumbled for it in his lap before managing to get a firm hold and open up the new text.

**_I wish I could, darling, and I’m very sorry that I’m not able to. I’ve been sent the coding for the Mark V that is supposed to launch as there is a suspected error._ **

              Newton chewed at his thumbnail as he read the text a second time before tossing his phone aside without responding back. He grabbed a fresh pair of gloves, feeling that weight in his chest grow heavier, as he went back to his own work.

              If Hermann was having to review code then he may as well work late and get what he could do done himself. Not that it would amount to much when the council was sold on their new defense. Not when they didn’t listen to half of what they worked out. Newton pushed his chair across the empty space to the computer to hit the space bar, starting up his music and turning it up as loud as he could before setting to work with the intent to go until he dropped.

*

              Hermann sighed as he looked at his phone for the fifth time since he’d texted Newton back just ten minutes ago. He had expected some sort of response but the silence was resounding. He could tell earlier when he’d seen Newton earlier that he was feeling down. Newton had been just as vocal in his arguments during the meeting that morning but he’d pouted later on in the hallway as they made their way down to the lab spaces.

              Hermann pulled his reading glasses off as he took a break from staring at the code on his screen. The office was designed for four of them, which it had been in the beginning, but now there was just him and Caitlin within the space. There had been a time where multiple offices across the world had divisions working on the jaegers, improving the drift technology and working on predictive models of the breach.

              “What’s with the dour face, Dr. Gottlieb?” Hermann looked up as Caitlin stepped into the offices with two cups of noodles in hand that she’d prepared out at the coffee station. She handed one over to him before sitting down at her desk besides his. “Seriously? What’s up? I know that meeting was disastrous but we’re not out of a job yet.”

              “It’s nothing, just tired. Thank you for getting dinner.” Hermann pulled the lid on his cup of noodles up and blew lightly on the noodles. He wished that he could be eating with Newton but they needed to get through the codes tonight. The new Mark V was supposed to launch in the next couple of weeks and if the coding was off it could be trouble. With the way the council was talking, this would be the last series of Jaegers they would support the release of. The wall was getting approved and they would be moving away from the Jaeger program even if it wasn’t an official order on paper yet.

              “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right? What is it?” Hermann rolled his eyes and looked at her blandly. Caitlin just nudged his chair lightly as she gave him an encouraging look.

              “I’m just worried about Newton and it hardly feels like we’ve seen each other lately.” Caitlin twisted up some noodles on her fork as he spoke. Hermann stirred his own for a few moments. “I wish there was a way we could spend a bit more time together.”

              “I’m sure if you think on it that you’ll figure something out. For now, let’s figure out what’s going on with this code. Sooner we get it done the sooner we both can get back to our significant others, right?” Caitlin gave him a wink as she shifted to pull her chair up to her computer. Hermann gave a short nod, mind distracted by the thought of finding some way to ensure Newton knew how important he was, as he got back to work while carefully eating his cheap noodles and rehydrated pieces of vegetable.

*

              They’d ended up both crashing late the night before, Hermann showing up after Newton had already passed out. It had been an early morning too which had Newton yawning early in the afternoon. There was a knock on the door of the lab and he glanced back for a second to see that Tendo had come in carrying a vase full of flowers. He rolled his eyes, wondered which of the two techs he was trying to woo this time, and went back to focusing on his computer screen.

              He was going over the genetic typing they’d ran on the most recent kaiju samples again. They were so similar to all the rest which didn’t make sense. Why were the kaiju so physically distinctive when there was such little variation in their phenotypes? He would theorize they were all clones but they’d have to be producing them at an impossible pace given the adaptations made to counter their own defenses.

              The flower vase thunked on the desktop beside him and Newton leaned back to give Tendo a look.  He got a wide grin in return as Tendo gave Newton an expectant look.

              “You just carrying those around for the first person who swoons at the sight of you, Tendo?” Newton reached to snag the card out of the holder while giving Tendo a look.

              “Oh, I don’t know, you biting?” Tendo gave him a wink before leaning to try and read the card over Newton’s shoulder. “They showed up in LOCCENT on accident. Delivery guy wasn’t really sure where to drop them off so I said I’d bring them down here. Wouldn’t want just anyone stumbling into the labs.”

_Mein liebling,_

_I suspect that you will know well what the meanings behind these individual flowers are. You are brilliant and forever mine._

_Mit Liebe,_

_H.G._

              Newton felt the heat rise up in his cheeks as he read the short message and then immediately panicked as he tried to dredge up in his memory what today was. Was it their anniversary? Valentines? Hermann didn’t usually just send him flowers out of nowhere, much less, send him flowers while he was _working_. Newton set the card aside to dig through the bouquet to make a quick mental catalog of which flowers Hermann had decided to use.

              There was a several amaryllis and red chrysanthemums clustered together and filled in with some baby’s breath and golden rod. Newton pursed his lips as he took it all in and drew up what he could remember behind their meanings. It was a bouquet of love, strength and determination, of encouragement and success. Hermann would have had to look this all up, would have had to spent time figuring out what to ask for.

              “What is today?” Tendo smirked when he asked the question and Newton narrowed his eyes at him. “Look, okay, I’m trying to remember what I’m forgetting. It is the 23rd, right? That’s not anything for us! I don’t think it’s anything…shit.”

              “They could just be a gift for no reason, brother.”

              “Hermann always has a reason.” Newton said it pointedly before looking at the bouquet again. He felt that happy flush, a warmth in his chest that pushed away that worry for a moment because he had a fucking bouquet of flowers from his husband. His husband who was probably expecting something from him in return and Newton had no idea what the occasion even was.

              “Well, I can’t actually argue with you on that one. But still, I wouldn’t stress about it. Enjoy your flowers.” Tendo ruffled his hair despite Newton’s protests before turning to walk out of the lab with a grin on his face. He definitely knew more than he was letting on. Tendo _always_ knew. He had some sort of psychic ability when it came to that kind of thing. Newton huffed as he looked at his flowers and then grinned a bit more as he shoved his face into them to take in their scent.

*

              “Thank you for the flowers.” Hermann smiled as Newton’s arms draped over his shoulders from behind. He was sitting watching a run simulation on the new code Caitlin and he had signed off on earlier that afternoon. The team in Australia still only part way through their day but they’d been quick to implement the changes and run through a test with their rangers.

              “You are welcome, darling. I’m glad they were able to deliver today.” Hermann had paid quite a bit of money to get the bouquet delivered on the same day as ordering it. It seemed worth it now as he felt Newton nuzzled against the back of his neck. “How was the rest of your day?” He heard the soft sigh, felt it against his skin and held his own breath as he waited.

              “It was fine. I feel like I’m missing a puzzle piece. I’ve requested some of the older samples to be pulled from storage and sent up. The genetics seem too similar but clones wouldn’t have such clear distinguishing differences in appearance. Is this that set of brothers down in Australia set to pilot your new fancy jaeger?” Hermann made a quiet noise, listening to what Newton was saying while keeping his eyes trained on the screen. The test completed but it was clear there was some hang up in the response time.

              “They are though from what I’m seeing with their drift synchronicity they seem to be having some issues. The code appears sound now, at the very least.” Hermann slid his glasses off so they hung from the chain around his neck. He patted Newton’s arm before turning his chair so he had enough warning to move without getting knocked aside by accident. Newton shifted to sit carefully on his lap, weight resting more on his right leg than his left, as Hermann slid his arms around his waist.

              “You really did the flowers just because?” Newton looked stricken as he asked the question. Hermann hadn’t thought about the fact that he might assume it was a special occasion. He tightened his hold for a moment as he rested his cheek against Newton’s shoulder.

              “I could tell you were upset after the meeting and with the missed dinner yesterday. I wanted to do something to cheer you up.”

              “Well, thank you. Mission successful, Dr. Gottlieb.” Newton leaned to give him a kiss before hopping up out of his lap and offering Hermann his hands. “Now, I would like that dinner I missed out on last night. It’s apparently fajita night upstairs which is, of course, the best night.” Hermann let himself be pulled up out of the chair, Newton handing him his cane before they headed out towards the elevators.

*

              Hermann had been called away early in the morning once again to help Caitlin with some project proposal. That wasn’t a big deal though it was a disappointment. What wasn’t a disappointment was Hermann’s apparent and sudden desire to give him little treats even when he wasn’t able to be around a lot. It had been the flowers first, which still sat on his desk where they were on proud display though he’d hidden the card away. Then, just yesterday evening, Tendo had wandered down with a box that contained macarons.  

              Newton popped one of these in his mouth now in disregard to the ‘ _No food in lab’_ rule. It was the early hours and he was the only one present at the moment. He hadn’t even touched anything yet that could be considered contaminated. In fact, he was on the disused side of the lab that was being emptied of the last of the old computer systems and cabinetry. He hadn’t been notified that they were clearing out the now defunct ethology area. The council was probably hawking the computer components to pay for their damn wall. 

              The problem was, as former head of the ethology division, Newton should have been notified that the equipment was being pulled. Those computers still contained data, old data sure, but still _data_ that had been used to build his own current and up to date models he kept on his own computer. _Some_ of them still believed that it was important to understand the behavior of the kaiju and not just that punching them did a ‘big hurt’.

              “Excuse me!” Newton tried to swallow the macaron down at the same time as speaking and his voice came out rougher than usual. None of the people who were clearing away his equipment seemed to hear him and he grumbled as he marched in the direction of the one who seemed most in charge. He was going to soccer mom this situation if he had to. Demand to speak to a manager. He didn’t do it often but like hell he wasn’t going to demand to know what was happening with his equipment. “Excuse me!”

              It at least came out this time and the guy looked up at him as he worked on collecting old keyboards into a box. Newton wasn’t certain if it was that his reputation proceeded him or if the guy had just determined he was an annoyance but either way he rolled his eyes before standing up straight.

              “Yeah?”

              “What are you doing with the old ethology computers? Those still contain important data that may need to be accessed at some point. You can’t just come in here and start yanking technology without the proper approvals and as the head of this department-“

              “Buddy, we’re not just yanking your shit. The Marshal sent down orders to clear out this half of the lab and place all the existing hard drives in storage. We answer to him, not to you. Don’t worry though, your precious data is being preserved.” The guy pulled something from his pocket and shoved it at Newton before simply returning to his task.

              Newton gritted his teeth and gave a huff before taking the folded-up set of papers a few feet away to read over. Why would the Marshal have sent down an order like that without informing him? Why did it matter if the old hard drives sat in the lab space or in some closet? Granted, he could be asking himself such a thing but that was besides the point.

              Newton read over the orders that did have Stacker Pentecost’s tidy scrawl at the bottom of them. _Removal and storage of equipment no longer in active use. Clearing of old cabinetry no longer needed for excess storage. Decontamination of space and delineation of a clean area._ He squinted as he tried to read between the lines because, if he was getting the gist, they were planning on putting something else on the other side of the lab. But what? And how could they reasonably expect him to have half the lab marked as a clean space?

              “When did he send these down?” Newton held the papers up at the guy who’d handed them to him. He reigned in his tone just a little, maybe not at all, considering he was clearly ‘doing as ordered’. **_Sheep._**

              “The other morning. Just the first chance we’ve had to get down here.” Newton nodded a little as he looked back down at the orders and huffed. He stomped over to his desk, turned on his computer before retrieving another macaron to shove in his mouth as he prepared to write an angry email. First, he has to defend his entire department against the council’s idiocy and now the Marshal was planning on moving _who knows what_ in his lab space.

*

              Tendo gave a low whistle as he walked into the lab this time. Newton felt a weird mix of emotions at the sound of it. He’d been starkly _ignoring_ the wide-open empty space that now was sealed off with plastic while the environmental services crew decontaminated the area behind it. He knew Tendo likely meant another gift. He wished it was his actual husband bringing the gifts but he knew that Hermann couldn’t necessarily control that. There was a war they were trying to stop. A planet they needed to save.

              “Yeah, they start this morning. The Marshal won’t tell me what the hell they’re trying to put in there. Gimme.” Newton made grabby hands in Tendo’s direction who was staring at the plastic wall with a small smirk. _He knew._ Of course, he knew. That didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had a small box in his hands that had a note on the top of it.

              “Hello to you too, _Dr. Geiszler._ You’re lucky I’m nice and bring these down at all.” Tendo took his time strolling over to him before handing Newt the box. Newton dug into opening it, carefully setting Hermann’s note aside to read, but he wanted the box open first.

              There was a bunch of packing fluff inside this one that he tore out carefully with a small frown. The flowers and the macarons had been obvious little signs of affection to him but as Newton stared at the bottom of the box, he felt a little confused. Had Hermann meant this to go to him?

              “Huh…” Newton pulled the box of fresh new chalk from its larger packaging. Why would Hermann send him chalk? There was even a second box of it underneath that first. This one was full of bright colors in contrast to the plain white of the first pack. “You sure this one was for me?”

              “Had your name on it. The note give any hints?” Tendo picked up the first box of chalk to look at it before his focus got pulled to the other side of the room behind the plastic where the sound of floor polishers kicked on. Newton grumbled at the noise despite the fact he typically had his music blasting by this point in the day. Music was different than constant whirring and the scent of floor polish and cleaner.

              “No. Not really.” Newton sighed as he got the small envelope opened to read Hermann’s chicken scratch on the page.

**_Hold onto these for me, darling._ **

              “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I probably should head upstairs. See you in the dining hall later for lunch?” Tendo patted Newt on the shoulder as he set the chalk back down on the desk. Newton didn’t want to be ungracious but he didn’t really get this if it was supposed to be a gift. Or maybe Hermann just needed him to watch his coveted set? Well, then Newt would do his best to make sure they were pristine and intact for him later.

              “Yeah, text me if I don’t show. I may get a little hyper focused. Or murder someone with all the noise.” Newton said the last bit a little too loudly though he didn’t think the cleaning crew on the other side of the plastic would actually hear him over the din. Tendo gave a laugh before waving and walking out of the lab. Newton tucked the two boxes of chalk into the top drawer of his desk with his miniature Trespasser figure that had been knocked off his desk or splashed on accident so many times its tail was missing the tip.

              Newton gave one last glare over his shoulder towards the plastic and then went back to trying to focus on his work. Headphones in like the other techs in the lab and new gloves pulled into place.

*

              “You know what they’ve done now, Tendo?” Hermann startled a little as Newt slammed his tray down and then flopped onto the bench beside him. Tendo had warned him about the foul mood but seeing it was something entirely different.

              “No. What’s up now?”

              “They put a fucking line down! Big ugly yellow thing that’s supposed to mark some sort of ‘clean space’. Like you can legit expect it to be a clean space. I told Pentecost that he’s going to have to make sure anyone who works in whatever bullshit they’re manhandling into my space will have to have, at least, a BSL-3 cause shit happens man.”

              Tendo nearly choked on his drink as Newton said the last part and Hermann gave him a scowl. He had confided in him so he’d help manage things and keep Newton from getting too riled. It appeared he’d failed in that second point. Newton looked offended as he stabbed a French fry into his ketchup a little too forcibly.

              “I’m not…I get you’re upset, brother, but most everyone here has a BSL-3 because of being around the jaegers when they come back through from a fight. Aside from some of the pencil pushers you shouldn’t have to worry about that. Look, I’m sure the Marshal has his reasons for making the changes he’d made.”

              “They made me push all the specimens on the one side of the lab.”

              “Well, if the other half is going to be a clean space that would make sense. Having your samples on that side of the lab would be a risk and defeat the purpose of delineating the area.” Hermann sighed as he dipped one of his baby carrots into his ranch. Newton gave him a glower as he took a large bite of his burger. Hermann didn’t want to give away the fact that _he_ was the reason the empty, disused half of the lab was getting the full treatment yet. It was supposed to be a surprise that they’d be able to see each other more during their work days. He hadn’t expected Newton to be unreasonable about it.

              “Why don’t they move them into your empty offices then? Huh? Already nice and fucking clean in there.” Newton spoke around his food and Hermann pursed his lips as he tried to keep his own irritation at a minimum. He was the architect of this specific catastrophe. He should have foreseen the fact that Newton would handle a sudden change in his environment with all the rationality of a cat in a rainstorm.

              “Some of our offices are getting materials moved into them from another source. Our space is being rearranged as well. You do not even know who or what is going to be sharing the space with you. Perhaps you should delay your judgement for when you figure that out.” Hermann met Tendo’s eyes as he spoke and could tell he was on the edge of losing it. This was not the way this was planned to go.

              “You know what!? You’re right. I just need to figure out who’s moving in and why. Maybe I can ‘convince’ them that it’s not a good idea. Take your ‘clean area’ bullshit somewhere else!” Newton slammed a hand down on the table and stood up abruptly. Tendo seemed to realize this was spiraling and finally deemed it necessary to intervene on the situation as he motioned Newton to sit down.

              “My man, it’s already done. Just wait and you can drive the person crazy once they’re there. I’m sure you, unlike anyone else, can make them regret their choice to share a space with you.” Hermann narrowed his eyes at Tendo as he spoke and Newton flopped back down onto the bench beside him. He kept that stare focused on him even as Newton leaned across the table to point at Tendo with a grin.

              “You’re abso-fucking-lutely right. Make them wish they’d never even suggested the move. Make them ask the Marshal to move them somewhere else after they’re settled in place and make them go through all the inconvenience I’ve had to deal with. You’re a genius, Tendo.” Newton picked his burger back up, reclaiming it with a large bite as Hermann fought to keep the muscle beneath his right eye from twitching. He needed to get this back on track and part of that was their plan to keep Newton _out_ of the lab for the rest of the day. He leveled an impatient look at Tendo who took a second before seeming to realize its meaning.

              “Oh hey, you know what, I could use some help this afternoon with updating the kaiju behaviors in the simulations. You up for it, brother? Get you out of the lab for a bit?” Newton seemed to mull Tendo’s offer over for a few moments as he ate a couple of fries. If he didn’t latch onto the suggestion Hermann wasn’t sure what they would do to get him out of the lab so that the blackboards and his own desk and computer could be moved in. They’d packed up his station earlier in the day and it was waiting for his okay to get it moved.

              “You know what? Yeah. I’ve looked over that genetic code too much lately that I think its gonna drive me crazy anyway. A break would be nice and then I can peek in later to see if I can meet my temporary neighbor yet or not. Oh!” Newton started patting at his jacket as if searching for something in his pockets. Tendo gave Hermann a grin while he was distracted but Hermann’s excitement over their plan was greatly diminished at the moment. “Hey, here’s that chalk you asked me to hold on for you? Like, dude, is someone stealing your stock or something cause you know I’m likely to break them if I keep them on me. You need a place to hide them?”

              “No, I’ll put them in their appropriate place. Thank you for holding onto them for me I wasn’t able to have them brought to the offices given our own disruptions this morning.” Hermann pulled the chalk over towards him while doing his best to withhold his sigh.

              “Hey, no problem, baby.” Newton leaned to give him a discreet kiss on the cheek and a smile. Hermann felt some of that tension ease at the sight of it. The process was messier than he had intended but he knew when Newton realized the significance of the chalk later, he’d appreciate it. Hermann would spend his afternoon getting his side of the lab set up and then he would wait to see what Newton’s reaction would be then.

*

              It had taken the whole afternoon to make the changes in the simulation to bring it up to date. Really, it was just another example of why it would be important to maintain access to the ethology data even if there wasn’t a formal department for it anymore outside of him. To know how to adapt to fight the kaiju they truly did need to track how the kaiju’s behaviors were changing.

              “Thanks for helping out. That should help catch everyone up to speed on what to expect.” Tendo was walking in step with him as they headed towards the elevators so they could head down to the lab. Newton was going to confront whoever his new lab mate was and then go find Hermann.

              “Yeah, of course, dude! Glad I could help out.” Newton spoke a little distractedly as he tucked his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled one of the boxes of chalk free. Hermann had left them both sitting on the table when he’d left after lunch and Newton had fortunately noticed and grabbed them. He didn’t know what was so special about this chalk but Hermann wouldn’t have taken the pains to order it from an outside source if he didn’t need it. What bothered him was that Hermann didn’t just _forget_ things like that. “Has Hermann said anything to you lately? Like, if anything has him upset or something like that?”

              “Not that I can think of.” Tendo answered after a second of thinking about it. Newton eyed him to try and determine if he was telling the truth or not. If something was up with Hermann that Newton didn’t know about then Tendo would know. It would also mean that if Tendo knew but he didn’t that it was likely something to do _with_ Newton.

              “I’m just saying…he doesn’t usually forget things like this. Just worried a little, ya know?” Newton sighed as he tucked the chalk back in his pocket and they stepped onto the elevator as the doors opened quickly at the push of the button. Tendo patted him on the back firmly as they started down.

              “I’m sure he just forgot you had brought them up with you. He’s been busy lately.”

              “Yeah…” Newton nodded as he looked down at the ring on his finger. He hoped that he hadn’t missed something. That his initial instinct that the flowers and macarons had been _for_ something specific and not just gifts to cheer him up. Maybe Hermann had been trying to be gracious, to give him time to realize on his own what he was missing.

              “Seriously, Newt, I wouldn’t worry about it. Let’s just peek in, see who your new lab mate is and then you can spend the evening with Hermann.” Tendo’s voice had taken on a less dismissive tone as he tugged Newton into a side hug.

              “Yeah…maybe I’ll see if he wants to go to dinner somewhere.” The elevator doors opened and Tendo led the way off into the main hall that ran down to the lab. Newton glanced in the direction of the physics offices for a second but Tendo kept them on the trajectory towards the lab.

              “You ready to see who your new lab partner is?” Tendo spoke in an encouraging tone as the open lab door came into view. The light was still on and Newton felt a fresh wave of curiosity and irritation as he pushed forward a little quicker. Either his techs had neglected to close up when they left or his unwelcome guest was actively present in the lab.

              “Hell yeah, let’s see who this putz is.” Newton gave Tendo a sharp grin as he felt a little vindictive stab. Whoever it was had to be some sort of hoity toity jack hole to have gotten things moved along so quickly. Newton turned to around ready to face this jerk who’d-

              Newton stopped in his tracks as the first things he saw were the towering chalkboards and the hologram display off to the side. Those looked like Hermann’s chalkboards that he’d been forced to put into storage a while back because of space issues. Newton frowned in confusion as he took a few more steps into the lab and the desk came into view. Hermann was sitting there seeming to be sorting through a few things and Newton stared as realization started to set in.

              “Made sure he got down here for you. He seemed about ready to stray off towards your old office.” Tendo nudged Newton forward as he spoke to Hermann who looked maybe a little nervous seeing him, which was nothing compared to the whirlwind of emotion that Newton was feeling at that moment. “I’ll leave you two to it…”

              “Thank you, Mr. Choi.” Hermann collected himself first as he stood up from his chair. Straightened his sweater vest as Newton continued to feel incapable of doing anything but stare. He glanced back at the chalkboards that definitely belonged to Hermann. Tendo walked out as the silence stretched between them. “So…”

              “So?” Newton found his voice as he spoke far louder than he’d intended. “So!” He gestured at the entire set up that was now sitting on the ‘clean’ side of the lab space. Hermann flushed and dropped his eyes as he momentarily seemed to flounder for words which made Newton realize how his reaction probably read. Hermann clearly thought he was pissed but Newton wasn’t mad. Well, Newton was maybe a little mad he’d been allowed to get worked up all day about this only for it to be _Hermann_ but he wasn’t really mad. He was fucking elated.

              “I was hoping it’d be a pleasant surprise. We so rarely get to see each other despite working and living under the same roof-“ Newton stomped over to Hermann who looked more and more stressed as he got closer. When he finally reached him, Newton grabbed Hermann by the collar of that ridiculous sweater vest and pulled his husband, mid-word, into a kiss. Because this was _the best_. This was amazing. Sure, he’d have to deal with all the shit from the council still and their doubts about his research and data. Sure, they’d likely have to continue to fight further pay cuts and cling to the resources and people they still had to work with.

              But Hermann would literally be right besides him. They’d be able to see each other throughout the day without necessarily having to stop their work or compromise their ability to finish a project. They’d be able to discuss things in real time, something they’d never really been able to do, to push each other to do better as well. He felt Hermann’s arms wrap around him as he pulled back out of the kiss though they stood close together.

              “So, you’re not upset?” Hermann spoke cautiously as Newton let his arms loop around his shoulders. He gave a little hum, narrowed his eyes for a moment in consideration to make Hermann sweat for just a bit.

              “I mean, you could have told me so I didn’t get myself worked up to annoy someone to death cause now that energy is going to be focused on annoying you. But no, I’m not mad. Are you kidding? This is going to rock, dude!” He laughed as he watched the look of relief cross Hermann’s face and he hugged him tight. Newton rested his head against Hermann’s chest, listened to his heart beat for a few long moments before he remembered he still had the chalk in his pockets. He pulled away suddenly to try and fish them out to shove at Hermann who fumbled with them with a bewildered look.

              “This is why you sent me fucking chalk?!”

              “Well, yes, it was supposed to prove meaningful once you knew. I honestly assumed you would have figured it out from that alone until we spoke at lunch.” Hermann managed to get a steady hold on the two boxes and set them down on the desk a bit roughly. “ _You_ were too focused on being offended that someone was daring to use the empty space in your lab to apparently think that through.”

              “Who in their right mind would make the leap from ‘chalk’ to ‘oh, my husband must be the one stealing all my computers with stored data on them away’? _Some_ of us don’t over think things!” Hermann huffed, did that jaw thing that drove Newton insane that was like he was winding up for some sort of boxing match as he straightened his posture.

              “Perhaps if you had taken a few moments to consider that the gifts I’d been giving had meanings layered in them-“

              “Dude, I got the flowers! Those were obvious. The macarons, well, honestly if those had a special meaning other than ‘mmm, delicious’ I will admit that it went over my head. But that chalk? Really, Hermann?”

              “Forgive me for attempting to do something _romantic_ for once!” Hermann fired back at him and silence landed between them as they both stood seething. A beat passed as Newton stared at him incredulously and then they both started to laugh. Hermann reached out for him and Newton took his hand instinctively as he let himself get pulled back in close. “Perhaps the chalk was a bit convoluted.”

              “Yeah, well…” Newton gave a little shrug as he looked down at the two sets. “Hey, does that mean the colored chalk is for me?”

              “I thought you would perhaps enjoy having a _small_ space on one of the boards to leave me notes on the chance we miss each other.” Newton’s eyes grew wide as he snatched up the box of colorful chalk. He was already pulling the top open and eyeing the chalkboards for the best place to put his masterpiece even as Hermann gave a hum of attempted disapproval. “Small space, please. I need to start work tomorrow…”

              “Yeah, yeah…tomorrow. For tonight it’s my canvas!” Newton waved Hermann off as he chose a color and set to work. “Oh, by the way, did you want to go out tonight for dinner? I thought it would be nice since we’ve missed out the last few days. We could hit that sushi place that’s not too far. Easy cab ride, what do you say?” Newton drew as he talked and he could tell that Hermann had stepped up behind him to see what he was drawing. He smiled, making sure to put a little extra flourish on his lettering before shading in with another color. When he finished, he put the chalk back in the box and dusted his hands off before turning to face Hermann who was staring at the chalkboard with a fond smile on his face.

              “I think that sounds like an excellent idea, darling.” Newton sidled up to him and slid an arm around Hermann’s waist before looking to admire his own handy work. It turned out pretty damn good in his opinions. The heart was drawn and shaded in with blue while their initials were messily but nicely scrawled in the center. ‘I love my husband’ was spelled out below it with three underlines for emphasis.

              “Shall we?” Newton pressed another quick kiss to Hermann’s cheek before pulling away so he could retrieve his cane from where it was leaning against the desk.

              “Yes, I think we shall.” Hermann accepted the offered cane before linking his arm with Newton’s so they could head towards the door to leave. Newton turned the lights off on their way out as he mulled over something in the back of his mind.

              “What exactly _did_ the macarons mean, Hermann?” Newton asked the question as they made their way down the hall. Hermann cleared his throat awkwardly, which was answer enough for him, before he used the end of his cane to push the button to call the elevator.

              “They meant ‘I love my ridiculous husband despite his best attempts to make me feel otherwise’.”

              “Ha! Love you too.”


End file.
